Vajrayana distinguishes two types of siddhis. The first group is the "mundane siddhis" or all the "magical powers" that can be cultivated by Yogic and Shamanic traditions. The second type is "super-mundane siddhi" or enlightenment (also called Mahamudra-siddhi).

While Vajrayana recognizes the potential for attachment in the siddhis, it also recognizes that they can potentially be quite useful on the path and virtually all Vajrayana tantras dedicate a significant amount of space to magical practices and/or the development of siddhis. As I mentioned in another email the archaeological finds at the temples of Margiana indicate that Soma (at least in 2000 BC) was an ephedra-cannabis drink.

Personally, I think finding these substances in actual cups in a Temple were the Soma-sacrifice was preformed is far more solid proof that ANY scholarly attempt to arrive at a conclusion based on textual analysis could ever be.

Ephedra is an important plant in Tibet. It is used medicinally but is also used in religious ceremonies and is one of many plants used to aid Yogic practices. I can say personally that preparations that use mtshe-ldun (ephedra) definitely have a strong effect on energetic yoga (rtsa-rlung-thig-lei-rnal-sbyor) allowing me to feel the currents of prana (rlung) as they move through the channels. It is well known that such energetic yogas are said to produce siddhis. So ephedra could help create siddhis by aiding energetic practices. In Tibetan yoga recipes there are 4 types of ephedra (mtshe-ldum) but I am not sure if they are actually different species/varieties in the Western sense. They are 1) brag-mtshe, 2) lug mtshe, 3) ra mtshe, 4) chu mtshe

One way to understand how ausadhi (sman) affect siddhis is to understand how they affect the mind. In Tibetan yogic and medical theory our imperfect and unhealthy state begins with the mind and trickles down to increasingly gross levels manifesting finally as disease and negative actions. The theory goes something like this (this is from memory so I might be getting some of this wrong but Ill do my best):

Ignorance ma rig pa (avidya) of the lack of existence of the self or bdag-med (anatma) causes ego-grasping bgad-dzin

This ignorance and ego-grasping creates the three poisonous attitudes dug sum which are 1) delusion gti-mug (moha), 2) desire dod-chags (raga) 3) aversion zhe-sdang (dvesa) which in turn relate to the three humours nyes pa (dosa). These three humours are: 1) wind rlung vayu, 2) bile mkris-pa (pitta), and 3 phlegm bad-kan kapha

The poisons and humors in are directly related to the three channels which are:1) the central channel dbu-ma rtsa (avadhuti-nadi or susuma) 2) the right channel ro-ma rtsa (rosana-nadi or pingala) 3) the left channel rkyng-ma rtsa (lalana-nadi or ida)

How the rlung (prana) affects ones circumstances when it is in one of these three channels is outlined in Yogic texts like dbyangs char rgyud (svarodaya-tantra) and Zb mo nang donthe Profound Inner MeaningAdditionaly the humours can be broken down into subtypes based the five elements. From a yogic point of view the 5 winds are far more important than the sub-classes of bile and phlegm. The diverse yoga systems classify the winds according to elements differently, but one example of such a classification is:

The Five Winds matched to the Five Elements byung ba lnga (Pancatattva)

Fire me(agni) is fire-like equal-wind me-mnyam rlung (samana-vayu)Water chu (apas) is downward voiding wind thur-sel rlung (apana-vayu)Earth sa (prithi) is the upward moving-wind gyen-ryu rlung (udana-vayu)Air rlung (vayu) is all-pervading-wind khyah-byed (vyana-vayu)Space nam-mkha (akasa ) is life-holding wind srog-dzin rlung (prana-vayu)So ignorance causes self-grasping, which creates the three poisonous attitudes, which in turn causes problems affecting the three humor and three channel. The humours can be seen according to the five elements. An imbalance in the humour will of course disrupts the five elements. Understanding the five sub-classes of wind is especially important to Tibetan-yogas.

This is essentially the Vajrayana model of disease and yogas exploit the same principle in reverse. Now ausadhi (sman) can affect the five elements and the three humours (and therefore the three channels). These channels affect the three poisons which can affect self-grasping and basic ignorance In other words, ausadhi (sman ) can potentially (for well trained yogins at least) affect or reduce the negative qualities of mind. It can even can reduce ego-grasping which can (at least temporarily) part the clouds of basic ignorance and allow reality in its true non-dual suchness to shine through. Even if you dont have a experience of suchness it is at least possible to have an experience (nyams) of a non-conceptual state (mi rtog pa) joined with bliss (bde ba) and clarity (gsal ba).

In ausadhi we can change the way the winds function and/or which channels are the most active by using medical principals like the 6 tastes, 8 nus-pa (virya) 17 yon-tan (gunas). However, many plants work in ways that would not be predicted using that system. These other qualities are also sometimes called nus-pa (meaning power or shakti) but they are not the 8 nus-pa of the medical tradition. Rather they are qualities that are passed down in yogic traditions and (so far as I know) are not discussed in a medical context.

In general, some basic goals for the use of herbs would be to balance the elements. To equalize the rlung of the right and left channels (rtsa-gyas-gyan) and to create conditions that favor the rlung entering into the central channel. Doing these things can cause the siddhis to arise spontaneously.

Also, the flow of rlung is more favorable for certain siddhis when it flows more in either the left or right channel or when a particular element is active.

For example two very basic siddhis (and yes, they are considered siddhis) are igniting a blissful warmth (bde drod) and the ability to hold, draw up and spreed the thig-le. These are favored (respectively) when the me-mnyam rlung or thur-sel rlung are highly active.

Regarding the siddhis, it is worth mentioning that some siddhis may be best considered as being analogous to shamanic abilities. For instants patala-siddhi and kecara-siddhi may be best thought of as shamanic journeys to the underworld and upper-word (rather that the physical body penetrating into the physical earth or flying up into the physical sky).

To quote Wlilliam Stablein, in the Mahakalatantra itself where there are scores of formulas to take the vajramaster into the psychoactive realms of flying, invisibility, being able to see under the ground, to live for a thousand years and so on. There is not space here to delineate them but what is important for the study of shamanism is that the vajramaster is believed to have access to most, if not all, of the powers that are assigned to the classical shaman.

Perfection of speech and Vac-siddhi are the _same_ siddhi correct?

The Alchemical Body - Great book. Good stuff about the Naths. The Nath lineages are interesting to me because they are far more relevant to the study of Vajrayana than is generally acknowledged. While many people believe that the Naths have been an exclusively Saivite group since their inception this is not the case. The Naths have had Buddhist and Jain lineages preserved within their sect-structure and have even attracted considerable interest from Muslims with a sufic orientation. It appears that the Naths were first and foremost yogis and alchemists and that sectarian affiliation was a secondary concern, with both Saiva and Vajrayana lineages being preserved within the Nathapantha fold.

Other than Whites book the materials Ive found most helpful are:George Weston Briggs. 1938, Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis,Shashibhusan Das Gupta 1976, Obscure Religious Cults,Keith Dowman 1985, Masters of Mahamudra: Songs and Histories of the Eighty-Four Buddhist SiddhasDavid Templeman 2002, Buddhaguptanatha and the Late Survival of the Siddha Tradition in IndiaDavid Templeman 1997, "Buddhaguptanatha; A Late Indian Siddha in Tibet", In Tibetan Studies; Proceedings of the Seventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, vol., 2Micheal Walter 1992, Jabir the Buddhist YogiMicheal Walter 1996, Jabir the Buddhist Yogi part 2David Templeman 1983, Taranathas The Seven Instruction Lineages

Of the adepts of the way of secret mantra, there are many who uphold the lineage of the great master Padmasambhava, but the majority are of the twelve orders of yogins who follow the great accomplished master Goraksanatha. And, in particular, there are a great many yogins who follow the great master of indestructible reality Shantigupta and his spiritual sons, who belong to the Natesvara suborder of that Nathapanthas.- Dudjom Rinpoche 1991, The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History pg 504

Vajrayanatexts speak of eight types of siddhi only, but one can find a much more detailed classification in the Hindu Tantras, where84are recognized. Among these, several phenomena can be found which correspond to those charted bycontemporary para-psychology, for example psychokinesis, telekinesis and the astral 'double'. All of these, of course, we also find when studyingshamanism- and there is little doubt that Tibetan Buddhism has been very much influenced by that ancient, magic oriented religion.The following list shows the Sanskrit names for some of the better knownsiddhis.

anima: micsorarea la dimensiunea unui atom antardhana: a deveni invizibil la vointa kamarupitva: a-si asuma orice forma kamavasaita: a controla orice pasiune khecara: puterea de a se deplasa cu usurinta oriunde in spatiul constiintei kramana: puterea de a intra in corpul unei alte persoane/ powa laghiman: puterea de a deveni oricat de usor - levitatia mahima: a-si creste forma oricat de mult mohana: a scana / a intelege inconstientul unei persoane manojavitva: a dobandi o viteza foarte mare (in procesele corporale) padalepa: a se misca neobservat, oriunde prapti: puterea de a obtine orice lucru dorit prakamya: putere irezistibila a vointei stambhana: puterea de a stopa un proces sau de a paraliza vointa cuiva vasitva: puterea de a-I controla ape altii vikaranadharmitva: puteri mentale infiniteAlte puteri minore: dedublarea astrala constienta, psihokinezia, telekinezia